Ask The Inmate. Real answers from people who've been there.

You will have to always pay Securus as they are the company that has the contract where your inmate is incarcerated. In the majority of cases we can get you a number that will bring this $15 call to about $3 but to be 100% certain, we would want to know the name of the facility and your telephone number. We would then direct you to set up a Securus account with the number we provision. The money on that...

This request comes up regularly and the explanation given is not always the real one. Understanding what is actually happening helps you make an informed decision before you send any money. The commissary limit explanation is real in the sense that it exists as a practice. Some facilities cap how much an inmate can spend through commissary in a given week or month and inmates who want to access more than their limit allows will route money through another inmate's account...

Reading is the great escape. Concentrating on things you can control, not worry about things you can't - it is where the focus must lie. Inmates need to get into a routine which will make their time go by smoothly. They need to make a goal list of things to accomplish with all of this time on their hands, to not just waste it playing cards and bullshitting. If they are inclined, anyone can come out better than when they...

Yes, federal inmates can receive letters sent through InmateAid and the inmate does not need an account of their own for it to work. Here is how it actually functions. InmateAid is a service used by people on the outside, not by inmates directly. Inmates in federal prison do not have internet access and cannot log into any online platform. The inmate profiles on the site are created by members and users, not by the inmates themselves, and InmateAid does not...

No. That is one of the most persistent myths about prison and it comes almost entirely from television and movies that need conflict to fill airtime. The reality is that most days inside look nothing like what gets portrayed on screen. Inmates wake up, eat, go to work assignments or programming, exercise, watch television, read, and go to sleep. That routine repeats itself day after day and for the majority of people serving time it passes without physical confrontation. Prison does have...

Yes, and the answer is more absolute than most people expect. If a judge has issued a bench warrant for any reason, including an unpaid traffic ticket, that warrant is a legal hold that the releasing facility is obligated to honor regardless of the circumstances surrounding it. Medical condition, upcoming surgery, length of time served, none of those factors automatically override an active warrant. When an inmate is released from one facility with an active hold from another jurisdiction, the releasing...

Was he granted a bail hearing or is he held without a bond? Even with the "no prior history" on his record, the charges are very serious and the likelihood he receives straight probation is dubious. But, please understand that we are not lawyers and also do not have access to the complete record so we are giving a general response based on years of experience but in no way should you rely on our answer in making any decisions....

This is a serious situation and there are concrete steps you can take immediately to make the calls stop and protect yourself legally. The most direct action is to contact the facility where he is incarcerated and report the calls to the warden's office or the facility's compliance department. Every call made from a correctional facility is recorded and monitored. The facility has the ability to pull the call logs, verify the contact occurred in violation of the court order, and...

Inmates that have money on their inmate trust accounts can purchase stamps and envelopes at the weekly commissary. If they do not have money on their books, the prison will provide indigent inmates with all the materials necessary to send out mail to their loved ones. If your inmate writes to you directly, using your address, the cost of the mailing is a 49 cent stamp. Many of our members use the Inmate Response Mail service through InmateAid. Your inmate...

Yes, absolutely. This is one of the most important things anyone with an active warrant needs to understand before walking into a correctional facility for any reason. Jails and prisons are law enforcement environments. Every visitor goes through an identification check before being allowed in and that check runs your information against warrant databases. It does not matter whether the warrant is from another county, whether it is for a misdemeanor, or whether you have made repeated good faith efforts to...